kepra

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does anyone know anything about kepra?

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Re: kepra

Submitted by vickiec51 on Mon, 2008-11-10 - 23:02

gratefulmouse---ok ...I have been on keppra now since about May 2008....I also got back on my old antidepressant..and I mean old ....its one of those way back in the day kind...tricyclics....I was going to get on the keppra and then get on the antidepressant and then get off keppra and stay on the antidepressant. remember my story...I was put on the antidepressant because I was allergic to PREMARIN...an estrogen given to women back in the 80's because it was touted as natural and the only one to take.....well, I had side affects so bad it nearly killed me..but when I went in to see the dr over a period of months nearly wasting away...it was decided I was depressed....so eventually I gave in and went to a shrink and got on the antidepressant desipramine....then it did cover my NO SLEEP AND NO EATING....that is why I was nearly dying...after a surgery that is life altering...not being able to sleep and heal that was so bad....

I then decided to see a female specialist as I was hot from the waist up to my head always...and my moods were bad even though I was on the antidepressant....she did a blood test and then called me immediately and said get off premarin as it was killing me...I was allergic to it...or allergic to horses....so i did and began to feel a bit better but back then we had to take an estrogen so I started on a trek to find one and I finaly did find one...estrace..within three days I was fine....but I was told to stay on the antidepressant and the estrace....

well, 10 yrs down the rd I wanted to get off the antidpressant....and started half way off and that is when I had my 1st seizure.....I was allergic to dilantin and other seizure drugs and I was sent home with nothing..i didnt have another seizure....but my stomach was a mess .....so I got back on the antidepressant and stayed on it for another 10 yrs and decided to get off and half way off again I had my second sezure.....i was put on keppra ..that was the first time....so I was kept on keppra 1000mgs and was on half dose of my antidepressant....I felt ok...then I thought why not get off all the way from the antidepressant...while on the seizure drug...so I did and then off the estrace....because now they are sayign its not good for you...so i did then I got off the keppra...probably should have waited more time ..but then got off keppra and then with in about 4-6 weeks....another seizure and in texas..voila....that is the magic number.....my first seizure was when i was 47 yrs old....so i figure Im blessed because i raised "5" kids before all that happened....thank God for that...

well, I figured it out because it happened to ME....not any dr...but I was treated in houston the supposedly great place for hospitals and the dr there ..dr chu nearly killed me...tryign me on different meds...and each one causing more side affects then the last one...he started me on keppra what I took before ...and I was ok at the 1000mgs.....then he upped it...when he did that....my side affects turned into nightmares and he kept telling me that i had to take the theraputic level of 2000mgs at least that much....so I did and once or twice it felt as though my brain was exploding...well, I got over some of the symptoms but not the weakness..I was so weak that my husband had to nearly carry me in to see the dr ...he wouldnt return my calls....I had to call so often i know he began to think I was a pest and I was nuerotic...

well, i lost 25 lbs in 4 weeks...and over 4 months became bed ridden....the dr took me off keppra after taking it 6 weeks...he then put me on lamictal and that caused me not to sleep..at all...I became desperate...i started myself on a really small dose of xanax to sleep and told the dr....then he decided to put me on trileptal...and it only lasted 6 hrs a day and I took it 4 times in 24 hours and if you know about tryleptal..you know you are onlly suppose to take it twice a day.....it nearly burned out my kidneys....so after 4 months of this and being bed ridden as a result ..i went into my family dr who I coudnt see because I was bedridden and couldnt move..a blood panel was run and they found that I had serious muscle wasting and then bone wasting..it moved to my bones....and I had all kinds of bad things happening to my body as a rresult..my husband had to help me walk ..he worked at MD anderson cancer center ...1 1/2 hr away ...so seeing me waste away he decided to quit his job....

he did that and was at home for awhile watching me waste away...I called his mom one day and she was in emergency after she was found wasting away...from taking coumadin .. a blood thinner..and she is still on it...and she looks like she has bruise marks all over her body and she has wasted away so much if she stands sideways you almost cant see her...but she believes in her dr and thinks they are god...and does what they say irregardless of what is happening to her...so I decided to move near her so she could be with me trying to get well....i told her what i thought...I had gone into see my dr chu again in houston and told him why not try what was tried and true....and said i would take keppra again but only 1000mgs and then get on my antidepressant since being on it didnt cause me seizures....and then get off keppra....

when i moved and found a dr she said that in texas..she couldnt treat me unless I took keppra or a seizure drug....because if i had an accident she would be liable...and that is true....she would be....I had prayed about what i should take and I had a blessing about what it should be ..at the beginning and I was told that i should take keppra and that eventually I would overcome the side affects and it would be as if I was on nothing at all...when i prayed about the antidepressant ....i got no answer....so when the new dr here did tell me I had to stay on keppra....she also said why would she put me on more than 1000mgs of keppra....she only puts larger people on larger doses and she also looks at what works on everyone...each person is different...she does it like that....and then she sees me every 3 months....she cares more....since my prayers led me in this direction I will do it ...so far all my side affects are gone....i am now trying to get off my antidpressant....I was on 200mgs and it was competeing with the keppra....and as i went down on the antidepressant I felt better....and so now im ok....sometimes it is the amount of medicine one takes....and each one is different...the side affects of keppra do wear off.....different meds can affect it...and the only reason I had any stomach problems at all was the outter coating of the 500mg keppra....it is coated in iron oxide....which upsets the stomach really bad..so I take two 250s twice a day...and it works.....I pray that God watches over me and those of you who are suffering and whose children are suffering also...so you have peace of mind in the Lord....and please pay attention to your dr ...if he isnt doing you any good or listening to you ..or like in my case...never returning my calls ....I wouldnt call unless my symptoms werent bad...and it was obvious even to my husband who I had come in with me to see the dr ..and m y own husband sided with the dr and told me just to pay attention to the dr and not dissagree or fight him...so i did...and I let it happen and then within 4 months I didnt look like me....i was looking like a person who was almost 100yrs old..and Im only 57 .....I missed out on my sons birthday...I missed valentines and easter ...after It went from january to May....I put my foot down..i had to muster up whatever energy I had ....and said NO MORe ...I told my husband off and said whose side are you on and can you see what is happening to me...my seizure didnt do as much damage as one BAD DR....after I got on to the keppra 1000mgs I felt much better...I did have problems getting on my antidepresant as it affected the keppra....but keppra was the only drug I could take that would let me get on teh antidepresant....I went t hrough some depresssion and I wasnt depressed...but it was the two together at first and then I over came symptoms from both and i had to do it alone as I was moving...and didnt have a dr yet.....when I saw one here and she said I didnt have to take more than 1000mgs...because that is the amount that works for me....I knew instantly that she was the one God meant for me...even th ough she had to be tough and tell me you have to take the meds until at some point they come up with a way to find out how my seizures came about...

she didnt know me and didnt know about the antidepresasnt....but I began talking to differnet people and we speculated on it...antidepressants affect the brain obviously....it goes in and puts a block on whatever to stop depression and mind you I have had depression in my life in the past and never took any antidepressant at all..it was tough as it was major depression and anxiety disorder...but I wasnt put on the antidepressant for depression as my problem was being allergic to PREMARIN..in the first place....and i took it for so long it became part of my dna...joke ...I think my body got use to having it there for whatever reason...and when I tried to get off ...my brain wasnt functioning the same way and when it tried to act on its own...it created a seizure....so ....you might say...I have a law suit that could be done here....it has altered my life in such a way as I cannot drive ...imagine after all those years driving and driving school buses....driving all over the world as my husband was military....then suddenly not being able to when i need to...well, Im hoping that the keppra takes care of it and so far it has...even while I was trying all the medications and then back on keppra....I never had another seizure....I feel blessed by God for this....anyway...Im not going to sue ...sue what the government....actually no one knows that these things will happen...even the company that makes them...medicines that is...

so PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND WHEN YOU TAKE MEDICINES...READ THE SIDE AFFECTS OF THEM...THEY ARE REAL...NOTICE ON TV HOW THEY SAY REALLY FAST THE SIDE AFFECTS OF THE NEWER MEDICINES THEY ARE COMING OUT WITH....WELL, TAKE THEM SERIOUS....also...if you feel bad at all..and its been over 2 weeks when taking a medicine ....get with your dr and if he doesnt llisten..find another one...its hard because you have to start over and tell your story over and over...but if you want to live..do it....also..I tried supplements for differnt things..and know this....SOME ARE OK....BUT THEY HAVE SIDE AFFECTS AS WELL...AND EVEN THOUGH IM AN ADVOCATE OF "PREVENTION"......WATCH OUT FOR THE SIDE AFFECTS OF SUPPLEMENTS AND HERBS....AND TOO MANY VITAMINS....NOT GOOD....BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU DO....AND PRAY ALWAYS FOR ANSWERS....SOMETIMES GOD KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH AND HE SEES THE GREATER GOOD OR THE BEGINNING TO THE END ...IT WAS MEANT TO BE THAT THIS HAPPENED TO ME...OTHERWISE I MIGHT HAVE NEVER LEFT THE HOUSTON AREA.....God bless you all...life is a trip we each have to travel....

gratefulmouse---ok ...I have been on keppra now since about May 2008....I also got back on my old antidepressant..and I mean old ....its one of those way back in the day kind...tricyclics....I was going to get on the keppra and then get on the antidepressant and then get off keppra and stay on the antidepressant. remember my story...I was put on the antidepressant because I was allergic to PREMARIN...an estrogen given to women back in the 80's because it was touted as natural and the only one to take.....well, I had side affects so bad it nearly killed me..but when I went in to see the dr over a period of months nearly wasting away...it was decided I was depressed....so eventually I gave in and went to a shrink and got on the antidepressant desipramine....then it did cover my NO SLEEP AND NO EATING....that is why I was nearly dying...after a surgery that is life altering...not being able to sleep and heal that was so bad.... I then decided to see a female specialist as I was hot from the waist up to my head always...and my moods were bad even though I was on the antidepressant....she did a blood test and then called me immediately and said get off premarin as it was killing me...I was allergic to it...or allergic to horses....so i did and began to feel a bit better but back then we had to take an estrogen so I started on a trek to find one and I finaly did find one...estrace..within three days I was fine....but I was told to stay on the antidepressant and the estrace....  well, 10 yrs down the rd I wanted to get off the antidpressant....and started half way off and that is when I had my 1st seizure.....I was allergic to dilantin and other seizure drugs and I was sent home with nothing..i didnt have another seizure....but my stomach was a mess .....so I got back on the antidepressant and stayed on it for another 10 yrs and decided to get off and half way off again I had my second sezure.....i was put on keppra ..that was the first time....so I was kept on keppra 1000mgs and was on half dose of my antidepressant....I felt ok...then I thought why not get off all the way from the antidepressant...while on the seizure drug...so I did and then off the estrace....because  now they are sayign its not good for you...so i did then I got off the keppra...probably should have waited more time ..but then got off keppra and then with in about 4-6 weeks....another seizure and in texas..voila....that is the magic number.....my first seizure was when i was 47 yrs old....so i figure Im blessed because i raised "5" kids before all that happened....thank God for that... well, I figured it out because it happened to ME....not any dr...but I was treated in houston the supposedly great place for hospitals and the dr there ..dr chu  nearly killed me...tryign me on different  meds...and each one causing more side affects then the last one...he started me on keppra what I took before ...and I was ok at the 1000mgs.....then he upped it...when he did that....my side affects turned into  nightmares and he kept telling me that i had to take the theraputic level of 2000mgs at least that much....so I did and once or twice it felt as though my brain was exploding...well, I got over some of the symptoms but not the weakness..I was so weak that my husband had to nearly carry me in to see the dr ...he wouldnt return my calls....I had to call so often i know he began to think I was a pest and I was nuerotic... well, i lost 25 lbs in 4 weeks...and over 4 months became bed ridden....the dr took me off keppra after taking it 6 weeks...he then put me on lamictal and that caused me  not to sleep..at all...I became desperate...i started myself on a really small dose of xanax to sleep and told the dr....then he decided to put me on trileptal...and it only lasted 6 hrs a day and I took it 4 times in 24 hours and if you know about tryleptal..you know you are onlly suppose to take it twice a day.....it nearly burned out my kidneys....so after 4 months of this and being bed ridden as a result ..i went into my family dr who I coudnt see because I was bedridden and couldnt move..a blood panel was run and they found that I had serious muscle wasting and then bone wasting..it moved to my bones....and I had all kinds of bad things happening to my body as a rresult..my husband had to help me walk ..he worked at MD anderson cancer center ...1 1/2 hr away ...so seeing me waste away he decided to quit his job.... he did that and was at home for awhile watching me waste away...I called his mom one day and she was in emergency after she was found wasting away...from taking coumadin .. a blood thinner..and she is still on it...and she looks like she has bruise marks all over her body and she has wasted away so much if she stands sideways you almost cant see her...but she believes in her dr and thinks they are god...and does what they say irregardless of what is happening to her...so I decided to move near her so she could be with me trying to get well....i told her what i thought...I had gone into see my dr chu again in houston and told him why not try what was tried and true....and said i would take keppra again but only 1000mgs and then get on my antidepressant since being on it didnt cause me seizures....and then get off keppra.... when i moved and found a dr she said that in texas..she couldnt treat me unless I took keppra or a seizure drug....because if i had an accident she would be liable...and that is true....she would be....I had prayed about what i should take and I had a blessing about what it should be ..at the beginning and I was told that i should take keppra and that eventually I would overcome the side affects and it would be as if I was on nothing at all...when i prayed about the antidepressant ....i got no answer....so when the new dr here did tell me I had to stay on keppra....she also said why would she put me on more than 1000mgs of keppra....she only puts larger people on larger doses and she also looks at what works on everyone...each person is different...she does it like that....and then she sees me every 3 months....she cares more....since my prayers led me in this direction I will do it ...so far all my side affects are gone....i am now trying to get off my antidpressant....I was on 200mgs and it was competeing with the keppra....and as i went down on the antidepressant I felt better....and so now im ok....sometimes it is the amount of medicine one takes....and each one is different...the side affects of keppra do wear off.....different meds can affect it...and the only reason I had any stomach problems at all was the outter coating of the 500mg keppra....it is coated in iron oxide....which upsets the stomach really bad..so I take two 250s twice a day...and it works.....I pray that God watches over me and those of you who are suffering and whose children are suffering also...so you have peace of mind in the Lord....and please pay attention to your dr ...if he isnt doing you any good or listening to you ..or like in my case...never returning my calls ....I wouldnt call unless my symptoms werent bad...and it was obvious even to my husband who I had come in with me to see the dr ..and m y own husband sided with the dr and told me just to pay attention to the dr and not dissagree or fight him...so i did...and I let it happen and then within 4 months I didnt look like me....i was looking like a person who was almost 100yrs old..and Im only 57 .....I missed out on my sons birthday...I missed valentines and easter ...after It went from january to May....I put my foot down..i had to muster up whatever energy I had ....and said NO MORe ...I told my husband off and said whose side are you on and can you see what is happening to me...my seizure didnt do as much damage as one BAD DR....after I got on to the keppra 1000mgs I felt much better...I did have problems getting on my antidepresant as it affected the keppra....but keppra was the only drug I could take that would let me get on teh antidepresant....I went t hrough some depresssion and I wasnt depressed...but it was the two together at first and then I over came symptoms from both and i had to do it alone as I was moving...and didnt have a dr yet.....when I saw one here and she said I didnt have to take more than 1000mgs...because that is the amount that works for me....I knew instantly that she was the one God meant for me...even th ough she had to be tough and tell me you have to take the meds until at some point they come up with a way to find out how my seizures came about... she didnt know me and didnt know about the antidepresasnt....but I began talking to differnet people and we speculated on it...antidepressants affect the brain obviously....it goes in and puts a block on whatever to stop depression and mind you I have had depression in my life in the past and never took any antidepressant at all..it was tough as it was major depression and anxiety disorder...but I wasnt put on the antidepressant for depression as my problem was being allergic to PREMARIN..in the first place....and i took it for so long it became part of my dna...joke ...I think my body got use to having it there for whatever reason...and when I tried to get off ...my brain wasnt functioning the same way and when it tried to act on its own...it created a seizure....so ....you  might say...I have a law suit that could be done here....it has altered my life in such a way as I cannot drive ...imagine after all those years driving and driving school buses....driving all over the world as my husband was military....then suddenly not being able to when i  need to...well, Im  hoping that the keppra takes care of it and so far it has...even while I was trying all the  medications and then back on keppra....I never had another seizure....I feel blessed by God for this....anyway...Im not going to sue ...sue what the government....actually no one knows that these things will happen...even the company that makes them...medicines that is... so  PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND WHEN YOU TAKE MEDICINES...READ THE SIDE AFFECTS OF THEM...THEY ARE REAL...NOTICE ON TV HOW THEY SAY REALLY FAST THE SIDE AFFECTS OF THE  NEWER MEDICINES THEY ARE COMING OUT WITH....WELL, TAKE THEM SERIOUS....also...if  you feel bad at all..and its been over 2 weeks when taking a medicine ....get with your dr and if he doesnt llisten..find another one...its hard because you have to start over and tell your story over and over...but if you want to live..do it....also..I tried supplements for differnt things..and know this....SOME ARE OK....BUT THEY  HAVE SIDE AFFECTS AS WELL...AND EVEN THOUGH IM AN ADVOCATE OF "PREVENTION"......WATCH OUT FOR THE SIDE AFFECTS OF SUPPLEMENTS AND HERBS....AND TOO MANY VITAMINS....NOT GOOD....BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU DO....AND PRAY ALWAYS FOR ANSWERS....SOMETIMES GOD KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH AND HE SEES THE GREATER GOOD OR THE BEGINNING TO THE END ...IT WAS MEANT TO BE THAT THIS HAPPENED TO ME...OTHERWISE I MIGHT HAVE NEVER LEFT THE HOUSTON AREA.....God bless you all...life is a trip we each have to travel....  